STAR"TISTS SPRING FLOWERS ISSUE | Page 81

STAR: What is your opinion about social media, its influence upon art and an artist? MANASI.M: Social media is not so much help- ful or encourage production as participation, and its value is measured in the feedbacks of others People post to receive instant feedback gratifi- cation. But it depends on how they do that, like commenting, making friends, sharing images of artworks.It varies across platforms like Facebook or Pinterest or Twitter or any other platform that an artist is able to reach and the response to such posts too consequently would go by statistics of the responses by others. While some artists and non-artists are interested in influencing these flows of feedback, the feedback mechanisms themselves can be aestheticised, ei- ther by working with or against them.An artist or art lover is completely at freedom to some extent in expressing views on social media.It is always a mixed response or feedback.Burr, I am glad that through social media, I could connect to vari- ous artists and connect to the Start’tists magazine. 81